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Old 02-25-2014, 06:37 AM   #3
PeterR
 
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Dojo: Shodokan Honbu (Osaka)
Location: Himeji, Japan
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 3,319
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Re: It's not in the branches :-)

Quote:
Ze'ev Erlich wrote: View Post
Rather than "branch" I would say routs. Aikido's spiritualism is in its routs.

From the little I saw here and there, it is the Sensei who would emphasize spirituality, not he organization.

As well as I know, the amount of spiritual teaching is not something that is decided by any particular aikido organization.
No not really - the question is completely fair. I would say that all organizations contain some spirituality in that there is bowing to the kamiza but beyond that there is a huge variation. It is probably best seen not on how much is discussed in the class but how their students rate the importance. If we had a straw poll asking what organization are you from and how high do you rate spirituality the answer wold become clear pretty quick and putting myself out on a predictive limb I would say that the pre-war styles would be less inclined to identify themselves as spiritual.

To start with Shodokan Aikido - spirituality low.

That said my teacher for a time taught at Ueshiba's old Omoto-kyo dojo and the Kamiza at Shodokan honbu is blessed by Omoto-kyo priests once a year. Just that Aikido practice is primarily technical and any lectures reflect that.

Shodokan Aikido

Peter Rehse Shodokan Aikido
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